Latest Droughts Stories

DES MOINES, Iowa, and JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred, one of the world's leading agricultural businesses, and Pannar Seed (Pty) Limited, a South African-based seed company with operations throughout Africa and other parts of the world, today expressed regret that the South African Competition Tribunal denied approval to implement their agreement for Pioneer to purchase a majority share of Pannar. The Competition Tribunal upheld a decision by the...

An eight-year study has concluded that increasingly frequent and severe drought, dropping water tables and dried-up springs have pushed some aquatic desert ecosystems into “catastrophic regime change,” from which many species will not recover. The findings, just published in the journal Freshwater Biology, raise concerns that climate change, over-pumping of aquifers for urban water use, and land management may permanently affect which species can survive. The research was supported by...

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Based on the Pennsylvania Drought Task Force's recommendations, the Department of Environmental Protection today lifted a drought watch declaration in four northern counties. The action means all 67 counties are now at normal status. On Sept. 2, DEP lifted drought declarations for 40 counties in the eastern and southern parts of the state. At that time, four northern counties had not recovered sufficiently and were kept in drought...

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced it will issue the company's financial results for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter and full year on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, prior to market open. Monsanto will hold a conference call at 8:30 a.m. central time (9:30 a.m. eastern time) in conjunction with the announcement of its results. The call will focus on the company's results for the fourth quarter and full year as well as future expectations. The call may...

A Texas forecaster said on Thursday that the drought in the state could continue for another nine years, according to a recent Reuters report. The Texas drought has already cost over $5 billion in damages to farmers and ranchers in the state. "It is possible that we could be looking at another of these multiyear droughts like we saw in the 1950s, and like the tree rings have shown that the state has experienced over the last several centuries," State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon...

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) today announced it has acquired Beeologics, which researches and develops biological tools to provide targeted control of pests and diseases. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Beeologics is focused on biological research. Current projects in its pipeline - including a product candidate being developed to help protect bee health - use a naturally-occurring process to provide targeted pest and disease control....

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GrassRoots Biotechnology and Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) have agreed to extend their existing three-year research collaboration for an additional two years through January 2014. The alliance will build upon the success of the current collaboration, focusing on the design and development of promoters that enable crops to express trait genes that enhance and protect yield. Promoters are segments of DNA that determine when and where a trait gene...

Program Supports Education of Future Corn Plant Breeders Des Moines, IA (PRWEB) September 19, 2011 DuPont, through its Pioneer Hi-Bred business, has awarded a grant to Iowa State University to establish a corn breeding program through support of a new faculty position and a graduate research position. This position will be a leading authority on the application of modern technologies to plant breeding. Support for corn research and education of tomorrow’s plant breeders enables...

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Credit Suisse Chemicals & Ag Conference today, DuPont confirmed its seed business, Pioneer Hi-Bred, will deliver another year of positive financial performance, including North America share gains in corn and soybeans. Based on USDA data, Pioneer added a solid 1 point share gain in North American corn and 4 points share gain in soybean, further demonstrating the value of Pioneer® genetics and services. These results mark multiple years...

  U.S. forecasters said Thursday that La Nina is returning for another season, bringing more droughts, heavy rains and severe weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center said in a statement that experts upgraded last month's La Nina watch to a La Nina Advisory. NOAA said the back-to-back emergence of the trend is not unheard of and happens about half the time. "La Nina, which contributed to extreme weather around the globe during...